Olaniyi AyoolaAt the Queen’s Club Championships on June 11, British No. 3 Sonay Kartal exited in straight sets, falling 6‑1, 6‑3 to world No. 8 Amanda Anisimova. Despite that tough loss, Kartal had earlier stunned world No. 16 Daria Kasatkina in round one, marking the signature victory of her career.
Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter—Britain’s top two female players—brought levity and energy to the doubles event. Seeded wildcards, they rode high on a home crowd surge and scored a straight-sets opening win on Monday. Their partnership, dubbed “Boultercanu,” was the first women’s doubles pairing at Queen’s in 52 years. The mood stayed light and fun until Wednesday, when they faced seasoned pros, top seeds Erin Routliffe and Lyudmyla Kichenok. The more experienced duo proved too strong, defeating the British pair 6‑2, 7‑5. Still, Raducanu and Boulter kept smiling and even embraced the loss with laughter—an emphasis on enjoyment rather than pressure.
Raducanu, who is playing just her second professional doubles tournament and first in nearly three years, gained valuable match practice in return, volleying, and serves under grass-court pressure. Boulter, already a proven grass-court contender, is balancing doubles with singles as she aims to secure a top-32 ranking ahead of Wimbledon—just like Raducanu.
Now that their doubles run has ended, both will shift focus to singles: Raducanu faces Rebecca Sramkova, and Boulter takes on world No. 10 Diana Shnaider. Meanwhile, Kartal must regroup after her defeat to Anisimova. For all three, the grass‑season prize money, rankings boost, and Wimbledon hopes await in the days ahead.
Musa
John Owolabi
Olaniyi Ayoola